Just Listen
by Afatcat101
Summary: It's easy to lose your faith sometimes, but when it happens, all you need to do is stop and just listen.  Short story for school. Please Read, Rate, and Review.


**[This was a short "scary/suspese" story I had to write for English last year. I made a..decetly suspenseful story, whilst adding God. I decided to put it up for others to read, and for more feedback besides a lame "interesting", like my teacher gave me. So, that being said, please review. I love reviews. They make me smile :)**

It was their anniversary; May 14th, the day that symbolizes their three years together. They found him in an alley, covered in blood; the dark crimson glistening under the moonlight. No pulse. If there was a pulse, it was too slow and weak to support a human life. It was decided the event happened around 11:00 at night. There was some confusion toward what exactly happened. The only evidence that was found was in his hand. This brought up several questions. Why would he kill himself? What triggered the action? Was it intentional, or was it a malfunction of the weapon? Was he just defending himself? _Did_ he actually kill himself, or is the attacker still wandering the streets?

Shanell was the perfect woman. She had a wonderful personality; kind, funny, creative. Ethan was very lucky to have her. He considered himself lucky, at least. Heck, in his mind, the whole world was jealous of him. Whenever they would walk down the side walk or through the park he could swear whoever looked at him would turn green with envy. But, maybe that's just because he felt like a god with her. Though, he wasn't of course, but Shanell certainly was a goddess. If not a true goddess, she had to be a close 2nd.

They've been together for three years. Three full years with no fights or break-ups, and he had planned the best anniversary date ever. They'd go to a movie, have dinner and then he'd propose to her. It was perfect. The perfect date for the perfect woman.

He was just getting ready to meet her at the theatre. His clock said it was going on 8:30, fifteen minutes before the movie. He had to go. So, he fixed his shirt, making sure there were no wrinkles or tiny fuzz balls sticking to him, then got his wallet and left the house.

The sun had barely begun to set. The sky was filled with beautiful, vibrant colors that fit the day perfectly. Away from the sun, the sky was still a dull blue, but as it got closer to the sun the colors changed dramatically from blue to pink to orange to white then purple. Only a few clouds in the sky, nicely spread out so that the sunset was still visible. It was still Spring; trees were budding and the grass was turning green. The birds were chirping, singing songs as they get ready for the day. It was, truly, a perfect day.

Ethan arrived at the theatre twelve minutes and thirty seconds before the movie started. He knew the exact time because he timed himself with his watch. He used to get places either late or right on time, and he needed to change that, so he started timing himself and trying to beat the previous time. It actually worked, which was beneficial to his and Shanell's relationship. Eleven minutes left. He decided to get the tickets while he waited.

At 8:40, Shanell showed up and Ethan greeted her with a hug and a kiss. They went into the theatre and found two seats perfectly in the middle. It was a romantic movie, which Ethan wasn't a huge fan of, but he didn't care. Just as long as it made Shanell happy.

An hour-and-a-half later, they walked outside. Ethan offered to drive and took her to Olive Garden (her favorite place to eat). He had made reservations, so they found a seat right away. Their table was a booth in the back, giving them a quiet, peaceful dinner.

"How was your dinner," Ethan asked, halfway through dinner.

"Good. I got you something," Shanell started digging through her purse.

"You didn't need to get me anything."

"Well I did. It's too late now, I'm not taking it back," She took out a box and handed it to him.

Ethan opened the box to find a fancy silver Rolex watch. With a smile, he took off his old watch and replaced it with the Rolex.

"It looks nice," Shanell smiled.

"Yeah, thanks…" Ethan said, "Now for _your_ gift." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. The smile that crept onto her face was clear that she knew what was going to happen. It was silent as he waited for an answer.

"So," He asked

"Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes," She grinned

Ethan smiled and took the ring from its box, reached across the table and slid it onto her left ring finger. The diamond flashed under the florescent light, and Shanell's eyes glistened along with it. He thought again that there couldn't be a better night than this.

"I have to tell my parents," Shanell beamed as she picked up her purse (a sign that always means the girl is ready to go).

Ethan stood and put the money on the table, along with a tip. He put his arm around Shanell and led her outside to her car. Shanell got in the driver's seat and looked out to Ethan, "I can drive you home if you want."

He shook his head and shrugged, "I'll be fine. My house is only a block away."

"Okay…Well, be safe. Call me when you get home."

He nodded, kissed her through the open window and headed down the street. He heard Shanell's car start and her engine sparked. Moments later she passed Ethan and disappeared into the night. Ethan continued going down the sidewalk, looking up at the sky as he did so.

The sky was black now, being eleven 0'clock already, and stars were displayed across the sky, some in groups and others alone. The clouds had evaporated some, but spread out so that they were long, transparent sleeves of gray. It was a beautiful sight. And growing up in New York, the sounds of the city, and the bright city lights made it worth the walk.

Suddenly the bright night changed to a dark alley. Ethan looked around to see what had moved him. He saw two thugs, both in jeans and sweatshirts. One had a gun, and the other had nothing, though he looked like the leader of the two.

"Give us your wallet," The unarmed thug said in a threatening tone.

"I have no money. I just used it all up tonight," Ethan said, trying to keep his voice as calm as he could.

"I said _give us your wallet_," The man said again, emphasizing the last words.

Ethan sighed and reached into his pocket. Both thugs dropped their guard to look at his hand. When he thought he had a perfect escape, he darted down the alley as fast as he could. Unfortunately it wasn't fast enough, and the thug with the gun pulled up his arm and shot Ethan.

He heard the shot and instinctively stopped and turned to face his attacker, falling down as he did so. He hit the ground with a thump, though he didn't feel it. Everything was spinning; his body quickly went numb and his thoughts became foggy; and he blacked out.

It was pitch black when he woke up. It was dark and quiet. Both the blindness and silence was disorienting, though it helped that he could feel the floor underneath him. He was lying down on his side.

For a while he just lay there, thinking his eyes would adapt to the darkness and he would be able to see. Nothing happened. Ethan was stuck in the infinite freezing darkness. The still air nipped at his skin and his nose whenever he took a breath. The floor was even colder. Wherever he was, he didn't like it.

Ethan took an icy breath and suddenly a sweet aroma filled him. It was like nothing he'd ever smelled or tasted. He took another breath, this time through the nose, and he was engulfed in a sugary scent. Each breath was mouthwatering and spine tingling. Ethan tried to figure out the smell. It seemed like a mix of caramel, lavender and honey. It was distracting; enough to keep Ethan from thinking about where he was. He kept taking in breath after breath, spoiling himself of his own little bit of heaven. Though, while he continued to enjoy it, the scent got overpowering and irritating to his nose. It started stinging his eyes and nose, causing Ethan to hold his breath and he remembered where he was. He shivered and took a short breath and gagged. Something smelled horrible, like putrefied, rotting flesh. The very thought of the scent made Ethan double over and puke.

Afterwards he lay curled up, holding his breath as long as he could. He would take quick short breaths, gagging at the nauseating stench. The previously sweet air was now flooded with the bloody, decaying fog.

Then he saw it. A dark shadowy figure staring at him. It looked like a lion from afar. Then it started moving toward him, crouching as it got closer; and as it got closer it changed. The form grew wings and fangs the size of Ethan's hand. The paws turned to one huge fang as long as Ethan's legs. The skin was missing in some places, showing only bone and some muscle. A thick cloud of black and red fog surrounded the beast. It appeared to be coming from the brute, leaking through the mouth, eyes, and where the skin was lacking. It stalked forward, its glowing red eyes focused on him. As it got closer Ethan could hear it growling and hissing.

He tried getting up to run, but he was glued to the ground. He couldn't move. The beast got closer and closer, and once it was close enough, it pounced at Ethan. The only thing he saw was a terrifying mouth full of dagger s and two large scythes coming at him. Fear overwhelmed Ethan. His whole body froze stiff and he prepared for the worst death imaginable. Just as the monster was in mid pounce, something happened.

"Stop!" A voice called and the creature swerved to the side as if being hit by a car and turned to dust and fog. After a minute the voice came again, sounding stern and threatening, "He belongs to me."

Ethan lay there, still frozen with fear. His body was shaking violently; the image of the creature failed to escape his mind. Time passed and the air became sweet and warm again. The longer he waited, the less he shook and the calmer he felt. After a minute he was completely relaxed.

"Ethan…" The voice called; it sounded like it was above him. He looked up. Nothing was to be found.

"Listen to me, Ethan, and look at me, please," Whoever, or whatever, was speaking sounded like a male. His voice was soft, soothing, like he was speaking to a newborn child. "I know you hear me. Don't ignore me, Ethan. It hurts me when you ignore me." When the voice spoke those words, Ethan felt a wave of guilt and shame. How could he be so insensitive?

"Don't worry, I forgive you. I always have and always will," The voice soothed.

Ethan got the nerve to speak, and said in a hoarse voice, "Who are you?"

The voice hesitated to reply, and Ethan suddenly felt very stupid and shameful to ask that question, as if he should have known who it was. "You know who I am," It said

Ethan shook his head, completely sure of this, "No I don't."

"You know me, Ethan. You have been blind your whole life, you haven't truly seen me, but you know me."

So, Ethan _was_ blind. There was a quiet sigh and the voice spoke again, "You were born to see, but let yourself go blind." As the voice spoke, it sounded disappointed. Suddenly Ethan felt shameful and confused.

"Why would I do that? I would like to see, wouldn't I," Ethan asked and looked around, still seeing just black. He sighed, irritated with himself. It didn't make sense why someone would take away their own sight.

"You most certainly would love to see. It's beautiful here," There was a smile in the voice. It sounded pleased with himself.

"Then why did I go blind?"

"You felt you were looking for something unreal. When your parents died and you had to live with your grandparents, you questioned what you knew and saw, and the more you questioned, the less you saw," That was all that was said, as if it were the answer to everything.

Ethan was silent. He couldn't think of anything to say. His thoughts circled around the conversation. How would questioning something cause someone to go blind?

"Ethan," The voice called, though it sounded different. It sounded like a female's voice.

Ethan looked up, thinking he would see who spoke. Still nothing. He sighed and put his hands to the ground. Feeling the floor helped him to be calm enough to think properly. Without it he would probably go crazy.

"Don't worry, ma'am," A third voice echoed above him, this one seeming more distant than the others.

"What happened," The female's voice asked, sounding distant this time, like she was speaking on one side of the Grand Canyon, when Ethan was on the other side.

"Gunshot to the neck," The echoing voice spoke. When it said that an image appeared in Ethan's mind. A crime scene. Police were surrounding a body that appeared to be dead. It was a man, covered in blood. He was staring straight up to the sky, glazed over like a porcelain doll.

"Is he okay," The female voice spoke, further away and harder to understand. The crime scene disappeared and an image of a woman appeared. Her face was red and her mascara was smeared. The look of fear and pain in her eyes struck Ethan. It hurt him to see the woman like that.

"Don't worry ma'am…" The other voice said and faded before it finished speaking. The images disintegrated and Ethan only saw black again.

It was silent for a while after that. Ethan was stiff when he heard about the gunshot and saw those images. Had that happened to him? Who were those voices and what were they talking about?

"Don't worry, Ethan," The first voice said soothingly, "I'm protecting you."

"How? If that was me that got shot, I'd say you're doing a terrible job at protecting me," Ethan snapped. Then he saw the beast in the corner of his eye. It was staring at him with its two beady red eyes. They glowed bright with hunger and impatience.

"I allowed that to happen," The voice replied, unfazed by the venom in Ethan's voice.

"Why?" Ethan asked as he kept his eyes on the beast; is slowly crept towards him, fog and blood leaking from the creature. A low, hungry rumble came from its throat. He was getting worried. Why was the creature back and why wasn't it being chased away?

"In order to save you."

That didn't make any sense to Ethan. How can you save someone by killing them? Everything was silent. Nobody spoke for a while. Around only what felt like seconds later, the distant female voice spoke again.

"Please don't take him," She whispered, "I need him, I love him; I can't live without him. Please give him another chance." Was she talking to him about someone else? Or was she talking to someone else about him?

"Why are you so afraid? He's in my hands," The soothing voice spoke, but directing it to the female voice. The demonic figure snarled. The fog grew thicker and its eyes burned brighter.

It was silent again, and then the voice spoke to Ethan. "Do you want life or death?"

"Life, of course," Ethan replied.

"Then follow me." The voice spoke and the demon hissed.

"What do you mean?"

"Listen to the voice of the one you love."

Suddenly the creature roared. The black fog exploded around it and its eyes burned brighter than anything ever before. In the blink of an eye it turned to smoke and all was quiet.

Abruptly his mind spun. He was dizzy and numb. His thoughts raced and he blacked out.

"Please don't leave me. Please be okay." There came a whisper from Ethan's left. It was dark, almost black, but with a shade of white. So, he knew automatically he wasn't blind.

The whisper kept mumbling to his side. Ethan wanted to look over to see who was talking, but his head was too heavy. There was a quiet sob and Ethan felt someone squeeze his hand

"Please be okay…Please be okay…" The whisper came, becoming more of a low mumble. It was a female next to him.

He wanted so bad to talk to her, to tell her he was okay. He tried getting the strength to even open his eyes.

"Please be okay, I need you to be okay…" She begged again

"I...I'm...okay" Ethan struggled to breath out.

There was a quiet gasp to his left. He gathered the strength to open his eyes and squinted towards the female. Next to him sat Shanell, completely bewildered. She grinned at him and he weakly smiled back. Only moments later a cop came in with a doctor.

"Good to see you're awake. You're a very lucky man to have survived a gunshot to the throat. Someone up there must like you." The doctor said with a smile.

The cop spoke more seriously, "We found the gun, as well as your wallet. We were able to find and arrest the guys that shot you. They tried to shoot us so we had to shoot them. You won't have any problems with them."

Ethan smiled at Shanell. She smiled back and he thought again, looking at the most beautiful woman in the world – who he was going to marry - that there couldn't be a better day than this.


End file.
